Coming soon to a computer screen near you...

We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming packing to bring you this news: we've made some very fun purchases for the new house already! I'm so anxious to get stuff up and show everything off, but our official (big truck) move doesn't happen until tomorrow, and it will still be a good week before our rooms start looking picture worthy. But in the meantime, I had to show you some sneak previews (are these movie-style monikers working for you)? ;)

Our new house has air conditioning (we don't have it on base), but no ceiling fans. And our new city gets H-O-T hot! So we bought this ceiling fan for our master bedroom (which currently has no overhead lighting) from Home Depot for $63 after military discount to help keep our electric bills down.

Right now the light in the dinning room is a yellow shell shaped blown glass pendant. I'm sure some people would love it, but it's definitely not our style. Instead, we picked up this industrial little guy. Stayed tuned, because both of our lighting projects should be interesting--we've never hung new lights before.

After years of sleeping on just a metal frame, we finally bought a bed with side rails a foot board and everything! It took several trips to IKEA and the promise to repaint it, but we purchased the extremely budget friendly Leirvik frame. It's out in our garage right now drying (one of our friends came by and laughed that we were still doing DIY projects in the middle of packing). But since the bed is one of the first things we want to set up when we get to the house, it has to be done before it's loaded on the truck.

After we struck out on our Pottery Barn rug for the living room, I had the idea to purchase a simple Ergeby rug and paint it like some of these I had seen. But when we realized the rug I wanted to use has the feeling of a very rough jute, we nixed the idea without a second thought (see why we hate jute rugs here). Then we saw this gorgeous thing and nabbed it. Bonus? $40 cheaper than the same size Ergeby rug.

And finally (for our bigger purchases), we decided to step outside our comfort zone a little by purchasing these funky curtains for our new bedroom. The colors online look way more bright and crazy than they do in real life, but we've never had patterned curtains like these before. A pack of two was $25--more than we normally spend, but not a bad price (and to be fair, this is coming from a couple who's notorious for using $2 sheets as curtains). But our new master bedroom only has one (very large and gorgeous) window, so we figured we could splurge a little (the current room required us to buy curtains in sets of three, hence why $25 curtains were always a no-go for us tightwads).

There were a lot of little purchases too (I'll spare you the laughing-at I got from Jason as I walked out of the accessories section with four new faux-potted plants), but these items are going to be the key pieces that help bring together the new color scheme in this house. And massive renter's bonus? I'm not surrounded by white walls anymore!

The first peek at our new place (the living room)!

Hello color!

We now return you to your previously scheduled programming packing...

Not my size? No problem!

Recently I purchased new bedding from The Company Store to help spruce up our bedroom and bring it into spring/summer. I opted for TCS over places like Pottery Barn and Crate & Barrel because 1.) I really liked some of their clearence sheets, but 2.) the other stores carry mostly 200 thread count sheets. I kind of made myself a promise that I would never put anything on our bed that was less than 300 thread count again--c'mon now, we're grown ups! ;) Plus, I knew TCS would have a lot of different options for striped bedding, which is exactly what I wanted.

I chose their Parker Stripe Percale sheets because I loved that they had varying shades of brown, but also because the stripes were nice and thick (oh, and they were 50% off).


The only problem was they didn't have any queen size flat sheets in the lovely Oatmeal color I was looking for! D'oh!


The I realized I could order one of the other sizes for my flat sheet, because my fitted sheet was what really mattered most (and thankfully the combo queen/Oatmeal was available). So I pondered between a full for $13 or a king for $23. Pfft! Hello budget, full size it is!


But if you think I'm done there, you're wrong! I went one step further and started huting down a free shipping coupon. I was already on a roll with savings, there was no way I wanted to fork out $8 for shipping! I like Retail Me Not for online coupons. Unfortunately, the code I used is expired, but I imagine it's been replaced by now.

So for just under $44, I got an entire sheet set of 300 thread count cotton percale bedding. If I'd paid full retail (plus shipping) I would have shelled out $110! Now that's what I call a bargain.

After thought: Whoever thought "Oatmeal" was the correct word to describe that bedding color was wrong. Unless they add the words "Brown Sugar" before it...

Deals & steals: our weekend of Pottery Barn

Well, our Pottery Barn weekend has come and gone, and truth be told it was one of the best weekends we’ve had locally in quite a while! And that’s not just me saying that! Jason shocked the heck outta me at the decorating class on Sunday. Who knew that when I talk about decor he’s actually listening?! We both traded on and off with Tessie, and during his shifts they walked around the store together. When we finished he started pulling me this way and that showing me all the things he loved: their Nila Patchwork quilt, the Petaluma floor tower (I’d like to talk him into the Caleb model though since I can build that one), and the Embroidered Pearl bath towel collection.


One thing I made sure to snap a picture of was this lantern set up they had. How amazing would this look in a shaded outdoor space? All you need is a few old ladders, some rope and a collection of lanterns. Love.


On the flip side of our weekend, the outlet store was interesting but I wish I would have gone when they weren’t in a store closing status. I wasn’t super impressed. I had been hoping to find some pillows on deep discount, but no pillows were to be found. They did have some great little accessories…


…but I was surprised when I would flip the item over just to see something like this.


How is $5 off an outlet price?? Or what about this amazing display of their baskets?



I guess $10 off is a little better, but not by much (although after seeing their catalogues displayed in one, I’m definitely on the lookout for a good size basket to do something similar with). I was also sad to see that this was their selection of bed and bath linens…


…but that’s not to say we didn’t see (and snag) some amazing deals. I would have loved to take this beautiful yellow bed set home. It didn’t have the rails, but as long as you have a metal bed frame, this totally could have worked. And at only $100?



How can you not love that? If only we had another bedroom… ;)Jason loved this zinc side table. It was definitely heavy, but not as much as I thought it would be. I think it would have looked pretty cool outside with some brightly colored plants on top of it.


$150 was a little steep, but had we been in the market for something similar, I would have considered it.


Overall we had a busy couple of days. Yes, we did buy things, but the items we got at the outlet store were all 50% off (now that's my kind of outlet pricing!) and due to some miscommunications at the decorating class, we got heavily discounted on our purchases as well (yay for the manager who forget to set her alarm and kept us all waiting!).

So yes, I did spend money. But, I had Jason right there with me vetoing some desires and agreeing to the ones we could afford. Keep your eye out in future posts for our outlet steals and Pottery Barn deals.

All Pottery Barn, all weekend!

A funny thing happened to me last Friday (April 1) at the gym. No, thankfully it wasn't an April Fool's prank (I loathe April Fool's Day), but it was slightly comical. Here's the scene:

Me on the Roman chairs struggling through my last set of crunches. I'm looking at a girl on the mat two spaces away from Jason. He looks up at me and I mouth, "I think I know her," and shift my eyes to the blonde girl I've been staring at way too frequently now. He gives her a glance and just shrugs. I get down from the chairs and join him on the mat--conveniently next to this mysterious girl. Finally, I can't take it anymore and I turn to her.

Me: I'm sorry, but I think I know you from somewhere.
Her (slightly concerned she has a stalker): Really?
Me: Yes... (then it dawns on me) ...do you work at Pottery Barn?!


Her (relieved): Yes! (she even smiles) A big fan?
Me: Actually I took a decorating class there and you ran it. You were so awesome and you helped me throughout the day.
Her: Which class?
Me: Oh, it was early last year. I made a lot of suggestions during class and you asked--
Her: --if you were a designer and if not did you want a job here!!

We fall into a fit of giggles and our husbands are looking at us like were crazy. Hers even asks, "Pottery Barn?"


During our quick catch up, she tells me of a new class on Sunday that she's running called "How To Design Your Family Room" and I immediately agreed to go (even though our living room was completed last year, I don't mind some pointers on how to update it here and there). Then she informs me of some tragic news: our local Pottery Barn outlet store is closing this month! Noooo! I was so sad--I haven't even gotten a chance to visit it once! She's not sure why they're closing (maybe they'll move closer to San Diego?? Yes??) but whatever the reason, it looks like it's happening.

However, I'm fortunate enough to have a husband who understands my Pottery Barn mania and he not only agreed to accompany me to the class on Sunday (retribution for me hauling boxes all last Saturday at the Iron Man competition), but today I'm making my first (and what may be my last) trip to the outlet store. My camera is packed and I'm ready to see what all the hype is about! ;)


images courtesy of Pottery Barn and Shop America Tours

Better Homes & Gardens

There's something about BH&G that makes me want to throw on my frilly florally tea length dress with high heels and pearls and strut around this house like a fab little 1950's housewife. And I absolutely love that their products are now available to the masses through stores like Wal-Mart. Imagine my surprise when I saw this beauty for only $15 gracing their shelves.


If you know anyone who does "Scentsy," then you know what this is. If not, let me break it down for you. This little guy has a light bulb inside. When switched on, it heats up the plate on top and melts little wax tarts that are made for them. A full sized Scentsy warmer is going to run you around $30, and the little wax tarts will run about $5-$20 for a pack. But the BH&G set at Wal-Mart is only $15 for a full sized burner (same size as a Scentsy) and the tart packs only run $2 each!


How can you not love a deal like that? I was on the fence until another Marine wife rolled up next to me and started gushing to her husband about all the new scents that were out. When I asked her how they compared she gave it rave reviews compared to her Scentsy burner (which she also loved, but the BH&G were a better deal). So I started grabbing tarts and sniffing. Which, by the way, is another convenience I love: I can't smell the tarts in the catalogues, but I can stand and whiff all I want to at Wal-Mart.


Currently I have French Lilac burning which smells like Easter to me. I also burned the Vanilla Caramel Spice in our bedroom for a few days and the smell still lingers in there. Talk about a sinfully heady fragrance! YUM-MY. (The great thing is, once you're ready to switch scents all you have to do is pour the wax back into the container, wipe out the plate, and put in a new tart.) I can't wait to try out the Creamy Tahitian Coconut come summer. It has a light scent that I know I'm going to love when it's time to start BBQing outside again.


So if you're not fortunate enough to know a Scentsy dealer or you're looking for something equally comparable at a great price then definitely rush over to your local Wal-Mart and see if they stock these (I found ours in the candle section). You won’t be sorry!

I was in no way paid or compensated by Wal-Mart, Better Homes & Gardens, or any of their affiliates for sharing this info with you. My opinions and experiences are 100% my own.

Mommy & me time

I love it when my mother spends the weekend with us. For one, it motivates me to get my butt in gear and clean the house, plus finish a few projects. One of which was a new set of café-style curtains for our kitchen. I'll touch on them in another post, but here's a sneak preview.



Mostly what I love about my Mom is that we somehow manage to turn the simplest shopping expeditions into a photo-op at every turn. I'm pretty sure it's one of the reasons Jason doesn't like to go shopping with us. ;) Observe.



(we take pictures with tin signs.)



(just call me suzy--homemaker that is. i actually went back on sunday and bought this.)



(here comes peter cotton tail, hopping down the bunny trail...)



(...hippity hoppity easter's on its way!)



(why yes, we are making bunny buck teeth.)
But enough of our foolishness, how about some eye candy? We were both in LUVRE with this patio set. The dishes were the most fun colors and they just scream summer time. Although I did mention to my mom that I thought a chair in yellow or green would be in order in addition to the red, white, and blue.






I don't know what the deal is with owls right now, but they had them everywhere! From jewelry to pillows to gift bags--and they were adorable! How cute would this gift bag look framed as art work in a nursery?


This industrial looking end table had my heart swooning. It was a bit steep at $170, but I know there are others out there that are much more expensive. So to someone else this may be a bargain! They had a matching coffee table for $250 (sorry for the flash).


I loved love loved this farmhouse end table, plus its matching console and coffee table. I totally would have used something like this had I not built our side table instead (not this one though, as it was way out of my budget at $180).


We came home with lots of goodies, but I'll save those for another post. Hope you had a great weekend!

Spring has sprung (in the stores)

We're still experiencing days that are no higher than 60-degrees (I know, poor us) so it doesn't quite feel like spring time here, but I love love love going into my favorite stores and seeing all the Easter and spring decor on their shelves. I grabbed my pal Stacey and we loaded up for a little girls' outing to try and shake away some of these winter-blues. Our choice of store: Pier One. Note: these were shot with my phone, so apologies for the less than desirable quality.

I remember when the over sized utensil look was all the rage, but I never did get into it. Stacey proposed instead we use them in a "Miniature Cooks" Halloween ensemble.


I was in pink puffy he♥rt love with these hand painted glasses, the stemless ones especially. But at $8 a pop I just couldn't bring myself to buy them, especially since they're so seasonal.


The section of paired salt and pepper shakers had us cracking up. This guy was one of my favorites (followed by the two peas in a pod next to him). My mother has always called Jason "Mr. Monkey" so we hold a special place in our hearts for kitschy stuff like this.


This orange vase with its matching orange flowers were so bright and sunny. Even though orange really isn't one of the colors I use around the house, I was sorely tempted to snatch this display right off the shelf. But I didn't.


Here's what I did come home with. A couple weeks ago Jason and I had visited Pier One just because I needed some inspiration (I was feeling very blah with all the grey skies we were having). Hiding in the wreath section was this amazing lemon wreath that I'd seen the previous summer when he was deployed. My mom and I both loved it but the $45 price tag was waaaaaaay too steep. But when Jason and I went it was marked down to $20! I happily snatched it up. When we got the register it rang up for $11! SO. FREAKING. SOLD.


When Stacey and I made our sojourn to Pier One, I grabbed another one to hang above the bed in our master bedroom. I promise to snap a good photo once the bed is made and Jason isn't playing video games (and giving me little scowls for standing in front of the TV because "that's how the wreath is centered!"). He's on leave this week, so it's all about him and his relaxing time. ;)

And last but not least, I picked up one of their scent pods. Sadly it does not give off any type of fragrance (a real bummer because when you sniff it, the vanilla scent is so intoxicating) but it was only $5 and I really like the way it looks sitting on top of my blue books right now. The beads really catch the twinkle of the light in the living room.


So, until the weather starts to warm up outside, I'll just have to keep visitng my favorite places to see those first hints of spring.

What stores are you visitng right now to get inspired for the season?

Making it work

Sometimes the things we want most are juuuust out of our reach, and we have to admit retreat for the time being. Yes, I said retreat and not defeat. I'm talking about the thorn in my side that is our lovely living room couches. Everyone knows my frustration with them and their feather-down filled insides. Last spring I gained a minor victory when I plumped up their dilapidated cushions with fiber fill, and chose to go with a Pottery Barn-inspired look and cover them using drop cloths as loose fit slip covers.




And that really did give them a fresh new look. They only downside to those loose fit slipcovers? Well, they were plenty loose.






Jason and I hashed out the pros and cons of taking the plunge and buying new couches. One of the big pros included not spending any more money on make-shift solutions. But one of the big cons (of course) was shelling out $700+ on new furniture when we really didn't need to/can't really afford to right now. It's not like the couches are falling apart, much to my dismay. These things are over 10 years old. So we decided to do one last make-shift solution, and this time we would do it right.

I gathered up a couple of my BB&B coupons and hit one of my most favorite stores. I was bummed I was on such a rushed schedule because one of my favorite things about BB&B is how many ways you can get lost in that store (and the smell! does your BB&B always smell wonderful too?) No matter, I was on a deadline. After checking out their newest placemats, I hot footed my way over to the throws/pillows/slip cover section. Side note: BB&B, still charging full price for Christmas pillows at the end of January? Not. Cool. Anyhoo, I purchased two of Sure Fit's Cotton Duck Natural slipcovers, saved 20% with my coupons (bringing the total to just over $100 after tax) and went home to try my hand at recovering the couches for what will hopefully be the last time.





(forgive the wrinkles. my tobi steamer was not being cooperative.)



(i went with square knots to keep them looking slightly more modern, versus a big bow which i felt would look a little too retro, and not in a good way.)

I should have washed them before showing them off to the blog-world, but I really was too anxious! I was so tickled at how easy it was to get them on. Last year I tried out some of Sure Fit's stretch slip covers, and it ended it a fit of tears, a tantrum, and a refund. It. Was. Bad. Once I wash them (the packaging recommends putting them back on while they're still a little damp) I'll take another picture to see if it made a difference.

So, this is it. These are the couches until they're replaced. I'm happy with how much easier it is to keep them looking clean, but believe me when I say that I can't wait to get a permanent solution going on in here.

Other details: large blue pillows from Pottery Barn, on clearance for $10; little yellow pillow from Tuesday Morning, $8; blue ticking stripe table runner DIY'd from an old sheet.